Gun-carriage for field ordnance.



J. A. DEPORT. GUN CARRIAGE FOR FIELD ORDNANGE.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1908.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SEEM: 1.

m m m m J. A. DEPORT. GUN CARRIAGE FOR FIELD ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1908.

INVE/VTOR:

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

lP illiENT OFFICE.

JQEBH ALBERT DEPORT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

GUN-CARRIAGE FOR FIELD ORDNANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 19 9.

Application filed September 22, 1908. Serial No. 454,258.

To all whom it may concm:

Be it known that I, Josnen ALBERT DE- Pon'r, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing in Paris, France, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Grimr Carriages for Field Ordnance, of'which the following is a specification.

Field pieces in which there is a long recoil of the gun on its carriage, which is provided with a. trail spade, are open to the objection that the horizontal range of firing is reduced to a few degrees, whether or not the carriage slides on the axle-tree or is ivoted.

When the target is outsi e the horizontal range through which the gun can be trained, the trail spade has to be withdrawn, involving a loss of valuable time before the spade can be driven home again suiliciently for rapid firing of the gun. This inconvenience is particularly felt when the target is in motion, as in the case of moving troops, convoys; or balloons.

The present inventionrelates to a construction of gun-carriage on wheels by which the aforesaid inconvenience is avoided. According 'to the invention there is substituted. for the narrow supporting base afforded by the anchoring spades commonly used at the end of the trail, a wider supporting base obtained either by makin the trail beam in two arts articulated together so as to be capable o being opened out when the gun is being placed in position, each such part having a sliding spade at its end adapted to be driven into the ground by blows, or by adding to the trail one orv two legs articulated or otherwise fitted to the main carriage and provided with sliding spades of the kind aforesaid. According to circumstances the gun is made to turn on its carriage or with its carriage in order to utilize as the horizontal firing range the large angle comprised between the anchoring spades.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure ,1 is a plan of a gun-carriage on wheels comprising a trail composed of two beams each articulated to the carriage and provided with a sliding spade; the full lines Show the trail opened and in position for firing. while the dotted lines show it closed for traveling. Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a part vertical section on line M--M of Fig. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale. Figs. 4, 5. 7 and 8 are plans of modifications respectively and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view drawn to an enlarged scale.

The carriage consists essentially of. a frame A on wheels to which the beams ll B composing the trail are articulated either by ball and socket joints or by universal joints (\3, C comprising two rectangular axles forming a Hookes joint which allows the beams movement in any plane. I" "h trail beam carries one or more spades l) D to be driven into the ground before firing the gun. The twotrail beams can be brought together and fastened to each other by means of a bolt passed through eyes E E. A ring or trail eye F is attached to one of the beams; or each beam may have such a ring, the two rings formin a single trail eye when the beams are be ted together.

The frame A is connected with the two trail beams'by a cross bar G G. Fig. 3 shows the nature of the connection of this bar G G with the beams. The bar sustains the frame at a and each end of it slides through. a corresponding box I), the outer surface of which is spherical and is carried in a bush 0 held in place by )rojections (l on the internal surface of the hollow beam B. Thelatter has opposite openings e c which are of such dimensions that the bar G G can not only move through the beam but has sutficientplay in cross sectional planes of the beam. A plate f screwed on the end of the bar G G limits the extent to which the beams. Ii ll may be drawn apart. The conpe'ction (1 comprises a horizontal axis upon which the bar G G can osc1llate so as to' be inclined according to the requirements of the beams when they are supported on uneven ground; but also this connection is such as not to oppose itself to the movements of the bar G G which accompany the opening and closing of the beams. In order to permit such movement of the bar G G,, it may be composed of two parts hinged together at a; the bar may also be in a single piece and the connectlon u ar ranged to slide by arranging the axis in a groove provided either in the bar G G or in the frame of the carriage, ()r the connec tion a may be arrarged to tie the bar and the frame rigidly together, in which case the boxes 7) can be arranged to slide with their bushings c on the guides cl. These .mdes of mounting the bar G G a ow the play to the beams l3 Ii necessary ior moving them apart and bringing them together.

On a vertical pivot I turns a smallcarriage K on which are mounted the trunnions of the cradle M of the gun N. At the back of the frame A is a circular rack P struck from the pivot I as center and engaging a worm Q for training the gun. The small carriage K is provided witha suitable elevating mechanism. It is hooked to the frame to .insure connection when the piece is traveling. Owing to this construction the gun may have a large horizontal range, corresponding with the angle between the opened out trail beams, without. the direction of the force of the recoil falling outside the;snpporting base provided by the spades. Owing to the universal jointing of the trail beams to the frame, the gun carriage may be mounted for firing on uneven ground without inconvenience. Moreover, the construc tion permits a notable increase in the elevation of the gun, since the latter, in its recoil, does not foul the trail. Instead of having the training rack behind the pivot I, it may be in front thereof.

In Fig. 4; the trail beams are connected with the frame by the same articulation instead of by separate articulations. The pivot of the trail beams may also be the pivot I of the small carriage. K, as shown, or it maybe a separate pivot. i

In the modification shown 'in Fig. 5 the axle-tree is jointed,'the two parts 0 0 being connected by a bin e as shown in section in Fig. 6, the vertica hinge pin I serving as the ivot of the cradle. I

Fig. 7 showsa form in which the l]O1'l 'zontal range is increased "by attaching to 'to the ground.

the carriage by an universal joint a leg R having a slidinglspade 'jlhe point of attachment may be on the axle-tree as shown, or on some other part of the car-- not intended to exhaust the forms of the 1 invention.

Having thus described the nature ofmy said invention *and the best "means'I-I know of carrying the same into-practical reflect, 2 'claim: w 2' 1. A gun-carriage'on wheels comprising two beams jointed to the' w'heeled carriage so as to extend rearwardly-i thereofand adapted to be brought to" etherto for'nl t'he trail, and means for *anc ioringeachbea l' ir 2. A un-carriage on-wheels" comprisin two hol ow beams jointed to-the 'i'wheele carriage so as to extend rearwardly thereof, p v a cross bar pivoted to'the wheeledcarriage; a ball andsocket joint within eachof the' beams throu h which'joint the corresponding end of t e saidcross bar is 'ad'aptefd "t le slide, and means for anchoring each o said beams to the ground; Z

In wltness where f," 'I have hereunto signed my name in the, presenc or two subscribing w1t-ness'es'.- "7" I JOSEPH-V Ail-BERT D Witnesses: f JULEs ARMENGAUIi,"

- HANsoiv CrOoxniff 

